Historical Review of the Enigmatic Smooth Bark-Gnawing Beetle Genus Dupontiella Spinola, 1845 (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae: Trogossitinae) with the Description of Two New Species

Abstract

During the latter half of the 19th century, various authors addressed the family-level placement of the New World genus Dupontiella Spinola, 1845, which possesses adult morphological characters indicating either Cleridae or Trogossitidae. After finally being placed in the latter family, the genus has received little analysis presumably due to unknown type repositories and a lack of additional museum specimens. With the recent discovery of museum specimens aligning with Dupontiella but differing in key respects, a historical review of the genus is presented. As a result, Dupontiella quechucha Kippenhan, new species, based on three specimens collected in Ecuador, and Dupontiella unomas Kippenhan, new species, based on three specimens collected in Colombia, are described and figured. The provisional placement of the new taxa in Dupontiella is discussed.